Newcastle United have been handed an early reminder that the January transfer window will prove tough to navigate as Eddie Howe ponders adding to his Magpies squad. The Toon chief held a transfer summit with sporting director Dan Ashworth while out in Saudi Arabia last week, with a number of targets discussed ahead of next month's window.
Christian Pulisic, James Maddison and Joao Felix are a few names already linked with a move to Newcastle, while summer transfer target Goncalo Ramos netted a hat-trick at the World Cup earlier this month to put himself back in the frame for a January switch.
Ramos, 21, was pursued by Newcastle over the summer but a move failed to materialise when Portuguese side Benfica refused to part ways with their young attacker. Now, the club's chief Rui Costa has issued a hands-off warning to Newcastle and any other potential suitors next month.
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“We have the sole objective of having a winning season, no player will leave – unless it is due to the clause – which at this moment is fundamental for the squad," Costa said. "What I can promise our supporters is what I did at the beginning of the year.
"This is a sporting project, not a financial one. Fortunately, we are not experiencing financial problems and we have no need to sell players.”
It is unlikely Newcastle will spend significantly in January given how well the current crop on Tyneside have performed so far this term. Howe may not wish to rock the boat and risking disruption to his harmonious dressing room at St James' Park.
Should Newcastle attempt to enter the market for a target, they can expect similar resistance as they faced over the summer, with domestic clubs unwilling to help Howe's side in their pursuit to upset the Premier League apple cart at the first time of asking.
"Domestic clubs didn’t want to be seen to be helping us," Howe said in the aftermath of the summer window. "We’ll have to take that, that is part of where we are at the moment.
“There is a real feeling of us internally knowing we are against everybody else. That is healthy and I would embrace that. I would say we couldn’t be more together at the moment."
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